Night at the Museum Book One: Enter the Highlands
by TimeWolfWarrior
Summary: Claire, an ancient Highland warrior, was lost to time. Hardly anyone knew her tale. One day, she wakes up in the Museum of Natural History. With a certain dusty blond cowboy at her side, Claire is nearly unstoppable. Until a sickness starts creeping up the tablet again, and Claire is forced to face her father for this first time in centuries. JedxOC, OcatviusxOC, LancelotxOC
1. Proluge

**This story I have been itching to write for a month, but I couldn't since I hadn't seen Battle of the Smithsonian's. Well, that change two nights ago, and I've been writing on this one like fury for the past two days. I'm really excited for it! I love Night at the Museum so much. Here were go then, the Prologue! Just gives a rough idea of what's happening.**

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

"Hey Dad! Look at this!"

Larry poked his head around the doorway and into the living room. "What is it, Nick—oh no."

Larry rushed to the couch and sat down, staring wide eyed at the TV screen.

"The fire is currently burning in a safe place, where no exhibits are displayed." The reporter continued. "For those of you just tuning in, this is the London Museum of History. As of right now, the fire is burning in a place where exhibits are not displayed. People are working like crazy to move the exhibits out of the museum as we speak." The reporter shrieked and stumbled forward a few steps as an explosion spouted a plume of smoke into the air. A police officer raced up and talked quietly with her. She turned back to face the camera and said urgently, "London Police is suspecting arson has started this fire!"

Larry and his son, Nick, jumped as the phone rang. Larry bounced to his feet and hurried to answer it. "Hello?"

"Larry! Have seen what's happening at the museum in London?!" It was Dr. McPhee, Larry's former boss. Dr. McPhee was the head of the Museum in New York.

"Yeah, I'm watching it right now." Larry answered, staring wide eyed at the TV screen.

 _Ahk… Lancelot… the tablet… the others. Oh please let them be okay…_ Larry thought, nearly verging on panic. His normal neutral mask was gone in his worry.

"Just in: The artifacts that the Museum of Natural History in New York gave London's museum have been safely removed from the building." The reporter announced.

"Oh thank goodness." Larry sighed. "Now let's get the others out."

"Just how many friends did you make over there?" McPhee asked suddenly.

"Um. Sir Lancelot, the triceratops, Trixie, the Garuda, Ahk's parents, Merenkahre and Sephseheret… and a few others." Larry answered.

"So the whole museum?"

"Not the whole museum, no."

"Would you—" McPhee broke off as the reporter started again.

"Most of the priceless artifacts are extracted, and just in time. The fire has spread to the Pharaoh's Tomb. Currently, the fire is not under control." The reporter turned and watched the flames spread.

The camera man zoomed in just in time to catch the bones of the triceratops get moved out safely. A minute later, the Garuda was rushed outside, followed by more Asian artifacts. Larry sat down again. "What were you going to say, Dr. McPhee?" He asked.

"I've spoken with the head of the London Museum and I've agreed to take a few artifacts to my museum, permanently." McPhee answered. "The Tablet will be among them, along with Ahkmenrah. Would you be opposed to becoming the night guard again?"

Excitement brewed in Larry's chest. "Of course will! You didn't need to ask." He hadn't seen his old friends in four years, and he missed them terribly.

Larry ran a hand through his short black hair as McPhee spoke. "Good. Which artifacts would you like me to bring to my museum besides Ahkmenrah and the Tablet? I mean, you're guarding them, so I think you should have a say. I can't take many though."

"Lancelot, Trixie, Ahk's parents." Larry replied promptly. "The Garuda too."

"I'll tell her now." McPhee hung up and Larry turned the phone off. He set it on the table and watched the scene unfold.

Larry paced impatiently outside the Museum of Natural History, waiting for the exhibits to get here. He was dressed in his old night guard uniform, his trusty flashlight at his belt. As he waited, he thought about the fire last night.

All the exhibits had been safely removed and there were no casualties. However, the London Museum had burned down before the fire department got it under control. Last he knew, they were still putting it out.

"There they are, Dad!" Nick shouted, snapping Larry from his thoughts.

Larry raced off to follow the truck, Nick on his heels. Together with Dr. McPhee, they settled the exhibits in their new homes. Ahk and the Tablet were put back in their original place, his parents joining him. Once they were finished, Larry stood in the lobby, gazing at the wax model of Theodore Roosevelt. He couldn't wait till night fell.

* * *

 **So everyone is back! With the addition of Lance, Trixie, Ahk's parents and that adorable Garuda.**

 **Bear with me guys, I know the prologue is short and kinda dull, but it's necessary to explain what's going on. I don't think you'd be happy if I just jumped into Chapter 1 with everyone back to life and a few of London's exhibits there.**

 **QotD: Who is your favorite character from all three movies?**


	2. Chapter 1

**:coughs awkwardly: Yeah, this one isn't much longer than the Prologue. I promise, they get longer _' Anyway, this introduces our main character! And sense the POVs (point of views) change sometimes, I'll tell who you're getting ahead of time!**

 **Chapter 2: Jedediah and Octavius.**

 **Thanks for the 12 views and the 1 favorite! As soon as reviews roll in, I'll put in review replies!**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1_**

One year later…

 _Darkness… choking, suffocating darkness. She couldn't even see her hand when she waved it in front of her face. Sudden confusion took her. "Wait, why do I have thoughts again? I'm dead! What's going on?!"_

 _The darkness suddenly lifted a bit, turning into a dark grey. She got the feeling of floating and looked down to see that she was indeed floating. But nothing was around her; she was surrounded by that same dark grey._

 _Suddenly, she felt jarring as something moved. There were the muffled sounds of human voices. Again, confusion swamped her. "I'm supposed to be dead!"_

 _The jarring started again, and she felt it until it suddenly stopped. She spun around wildly, trying to figure out what was going on. The muffled sounds of human voices continued, and then they faded. She calmed herself, trying to figure out what was going on. There was some sort of magic going on here. How else would she be alive? Then, her mind was flooded with different languages and different things. When it stopped, she was left with a slight throbbing that quickly faded._

 _Suddenly, the dark grey turned into pitch black once more, and then a blinding white light burst through it. She closed her eyes and flung her hands in front of her face. Well, she tried to fling her arms in front of her face. They were stuck in position, wrapped over the end of the pommel of her sword. The white light faded and then she saw her surroundings for the first time._ She couldn't move her head or her eyes—or any part of her body, really—but she could see humans looking at different things in a lobby. The name of this place came to her mind: _museum._ A person came up and looked at a plaque that rested in front of her. He then looked up and examined her thoughtfully before moving on. Then, a man, his wife and their two kids came up to stare at her.

"Wow! Claire, the Highland warrior!" The little boy stared at her, awed.

 _How do they know who I am?_ Claire thought in surprise. _The better question is: what is going on?_

"She was a great warrior. I never knew she existed until last year." The father said. He was reading the plaque.

 _Humph. Father kept his word, it seems._ Claire thought bitterly.

The family moved on and Claire experienced more reactions from other people as they came to stare at her. One man came up, dressed in a uniform. He had short black hair and a deadpanned look on his face. Another man, this on with short brown hair and dressed in a suit was beside him. The first man smiled at her. "I can't wait to meet Claire. She seems like a neat person."

"Same here, Mr. Daley." The second man said. "You'll have quite the time explaining things to her though."

"Eh. Teddy'll help." Mr. Daley answered. "Sacagawea will be a good help too." He paused. "Even though he's a trickster, Dex might help. It's hard to not relax at the sight of his adorableness."

"What, just those three?" The second man asked in surprise.

"Mmmf… You've met the others." Mr. Daley answered. At the second man's look, he sighed. "Okay, fine. Maybe Jedediah, Octavius and Lancelot will help."

 _I wonder who these people are… And what are they talking about?_ Claire wondered.

"Alright, Larry, I'll hold your word for it." The second man sighed.

"Dr. McPhee, I'm hurt by your lack of faith." Larry protested in mock hurt.

"Well then, carry on being hurt by it." Dr. McPhee sniffed.

Together, they laughed and Dr. McPhee left. Larry stood in front of and to the right of Claire, obviously guarding her from something. Claire wasn't worried about what he was guarding her from; she was just worried about what was coming. And her head was brimming with questions that she assumed only this Larry fellow could answer. As best she could, she examined him thoughtfully. _He seems nice enough. Perhaps he'll be someone I can trust, or maybe even a friend._

Claire sighed mentally and continued to wonder about what was going on.

* * *

 **Like I said, this mainly introduces Claire. I promise, the chapters will get longer!**

 **QotD: Who is your favorite character from all three movies?**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of my newest book! Anyone enjoying this should be pleased to know that I've worked on this and only this from 12/28/15-present. In that time, I've gotten all the way to Chapter 13. Goes to show that I'm really, really excited about this story. I love Night at the Museum way to much XD**

 **Review Replies:**

 **WolfGirl-Interesting idea! I'll keep it in mind. As much as I love the Garuda, I haven't really been able to make him a big character. Perhaps that'll change in Book 2. And yes, Teddy and Sacagawea are adorable! I love them so much, and completely ship them.**

 **Dinosuar Imperial Soldier: Interesting choice. I find it hard to like him mainly because he's really not a main character and therefor, I can't like him as much. Plus, he worked with Kahmunrah. But I respect your choice :)**

 **Chapter 2 shows that'll I'll be having multiple POV's. In this one, we have Jedediah and Octavius! A shorter chapter (they do get longer, I swear) that introduces what the first exhibits think of having a new member of the family for the first time in ages.**

 **Enough of me rambling! Here we go!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

 _Jedediah_

He desperately wanted to see what the new member of the family looked like. But Giagantor and forbidden it. Said it was a surprise, that they'd see her tonight. Jedediah was really impatient to meet her. Gosh, he didn't even know her name! None of the other exhibits knew her name, for that matter.

The miniature cowboy jumped internally as a little boy put his hands on the glass. _Curses._ Jed thought. _It always freaks me out when kids do that._

"Tommy." The boy's mother scolded. "You know better. Hands off the glass!"

"I just want to play with them so bad!" Tommy wailed.

 _Please. It'll be the last thing you do if you use Jedidiah Smith as a toy!_ Jed threatened silently.

"These aren't toys, they are museum exhibits. This is a museum. Not a toy store." Tommy's father reprimanded.

Tommy groaned and followed his parents. Jed sighed aloud, thankful for the glass that protected him and his other miniature friends. He turned back into the still, plastic figurine most everyone at the museum was used to and watched as people filled past. Larry suddenly came in, talking to a woman with long, red hair who looked a lot like Amelia Earhart. Jed remembered her from the night of the Museum's new hours. The dusty blond cowboy wanted to come to life and talk with this look a-like lady, but he decided that he'd rather wait and not risk Larry's disappointment. Jed had a job to do, after all. Stand there for hours on end and look cool. It was boring sometimes. He'd honestly rather be off adventuring with his friends. But, such is the life of a museum exhibit at this time.

 _Hold your horses there, partner._ Jed thought. _There_ is _an adventure I can go on with a friend! I'll sneak out, makin' sure Octavius can see me, and then we can go steal a look at this new exhibit!_

And that's just what he did.

 _Octavius_

He'd noticed Jed's sigh, and he wanted to pat his friend on the back. Octavius was just as impatient to meet the new person, but the Guardian of Brooklyn was keeping it a surprise. Why he was, no one knew. The Roman miniature watched as Larry and his friend sat down on the bench, facing Jed and the other cowboys. They obviously weren't looking at the exhibits. Octavius suddenly noticed a little shape darting under the bench.

 _Jed?_

"Oh no you don't!" Oct hissed under his breath.

He quickly turned back to life and snuck out of his area. Using his cape as a parachute, the little Roman glided down to confront his friend. And stab Larry's foot to get his attention, if he had to. Octavius suddenly grunted as Jed crashed into him.

"Octavius!" Jed whispered, sounding pleased.

"Jedediah Smith, what are you doing?!" Oct whispered back.

"Goin' to see the new exhibit." The dusty blond cowboy answered.

"Are you crazy?" Octavius asked. "Larry will get really mad!"

"I know." Came the infuriatingly clam reply. "It's worth it though, partner."

"Is it?"

"Yep."

Octavius felt the burning desire to slap him. Maybe make him think twice. Jed just smiled at him and stared off, spurs clinking slightly. Oct sighed and leaped after him. "If we're smart, we'd grow, change into something else and blend in."

"Whoa there, partner." Jed turned. "With my accent and speech and your speech, we'd be caught faster than the Iron Horse can move! Besides, Larry will recognize us instantly."

Octavius thought about that for a minute. "Good point. I guess we are better off tiny."

The two miniature figurines strode out from behind the chair leg and instantly were swopped up into the air. Larry's face filled their vision. "Where are you off too?" he asked.

"You know I don't like to be manhandled, Giagantor!" Jed complained. "And we're goin' nowhere."

"Uh-huh." Larry wasn't convinced. "You'll see her tonight."

"Why are you keepin' it a secret, Gigantor?" Jed challenged.

"I'm curious too." Oct backed him up.

"Because I want to talk to her before you guys get there. This is her first night. She'll probably be frightened." Larry explained.

"That's fair." Oct sighed.

Jed nodded reluctantly, sighing, "I tried."

Larry let them climb into the pockets in his jacket. Jed watched unhappily as the night guard put Octavius back. Oct watched as Larry put Jed back and then the Roman miniature turned back into his exhibit form.

* * *

 **I forgot to mention that this also sets up part of my What If style: The exhibits can come to life at any time!**

 **Next chapter we have:**

 ***Claire meets the others***

 ***A killer ladder***

 **QotD: Are you excited to see Claire meet everyone?**

 **AotD: I love everyone XD I couldn't choose an all time favorite DX But if you really pressed, I'd have to say Jedediah. (And there goes my brain, clamoring about Octavius and Dexter and Teddy and Sacagawea and Attila... :wail:)**

 **First movie: The whole cast.**

 **Battle of the Smithsonian's: The original cast. Out of the D.C. museum, Amelia Earhart, Abel, and I loved those Einstein bobble heads. That squirrel was cute too.**

 **Secret of the Tomb: The original cast again. Out of the London museum, Sir Lancelot, Trixie, Ahk's parents and that adorable Garuda.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Everyone is _loving_ this story! Thank you all!**

 **I realized tonight that I updated Turtle Warriors and Enter the Highlands a day early ^_^' I thought it was Tuesday when I did that. SO! Extra chapter on EtH!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: I love Jed and Oct ^_^ Definite all time favorites.**

 **Wolfgirl: Of course Teddy and Sacagawea will be there :) I love those too together, and I totally ship them. And I can't wait for you guys to meet her too!**

 **i am me: Thanks! Glad you like it!**

 **Guest: Glad you do ^_^**

 **I am I AM I AM: Glad you like it! And here is the extra chapter ^_^**

 **Next time, I'll be back on normal-ish scedual. EtH will be updated on Tuesday like normal.**

 **Heads up: Dragon's Sanctuary gets two more weeks before it goes on hiatus completely.**

 **And now, it's time to see Claire meet everyone!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3_**

 _Claire_

As soon as night fell, Claire felt herself come to life. She stumbled forward to the railing and put her hand on it, staring down in surprise as the man on the horse and two dinosaurs come to life as well. Other people and animals came from different rooms in the house. Claire stumbled back and stood still, grasping her necklace in her left hand. She realized her sword was in her hand and sheathed it. Then she looked around for that Larry Daley fellow. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw him hurrying towards her.

"No, Lancelot, stay down there. I have to talk to her alone for right now." Larry explained, pausing to talk with a hidden man.

"Laurence!" A voice called from down below.

Larry sighed and hurried to the railing. "Yeah, Teddy?" He called.

"Take your time up there. I'll keep these guys in check." The man whom Claire assumed was Teddy called back.

"Thanks, Teddy! Keep an eye on Jed and Oct! They tried sneaking off today."

"We won't sneak off now, Gigantor." A man called. His accent reminded her of the cowboys.

"I'll believe that when I see it!" Larry called down. He turned to Claire and smiled softly. "Hi there. My name is Larry Daley, and you are?"

"Well, I know you know my name." Claire answered slowly. "I heard you and that Dr. McPhee talking earlier.

"I should have expected the Scottish accent." Larry chuckled. Claire did have a Scottish accent. "And I want to be formally introduced, that's why I asked."

Claire thought for a minute. "In answer to your question, laddie, my name is Claire." She paused, a wry smile spreading across her face. "And yes, you should have expected the accent."

Larry's face kept a deadpanned look, but a half smile crept onto his face. He moved to the rail and looked over to see a crowd of museum exhibits chatting happily. Teddy was patrolling the area, Sacagawea behind him, both talking happily. He turned back to her. "Ready to go down?"

"Sure." She was curious to meet these other people. As they walked down she glanced sidelong at Larry. "Are you an exhibit? Same goes for that Dr. McPhee guy."

"No, we're completely human. You've probably guessed that you turn human again." Larry looked through the crowd and pointed out a younger, man with sort black hair. "That's my son, Nick."

Claire grunted. By now, the Easter Island Head had announced her presence, so all the others had turned to look at her and Larry. She wasn't fazed by all the stares. Instead, she examined everyone curiously. Larry announced that they could all meet her one at a time, so as not to scare her.

"Excuse me, laddie!" Claire protested. "I don't get scared easily! You guys won't scare me."

Larry coughed in embarrassment. "Sorry." He muttered.

Claire laughed softly. "Eh, it's fine, laddie."

"Wait, so is 'laddie' your nickname for me?" Larry asked.

"I call any male 'laddie' and any female 'lassie.' That's what I do." She shrugged. "Well now, come and let's meet each other." She added briskly to the others.

A tall man with glasses and a mustache moved forward first, a woman just a bit shorter with long black hair done up in two braids beside him and a horse behind him. "I am Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of these United States. My friends call me Teddy. And this is my horse, Texas." He offered his hand.

Claire shook hands with him. The woman bowed. "My name is Sacagawea."

"My name's Claire. Nice to meet you too!" She bowed in return. She looked up and smiled. "You two are adorable together."

Teddy and Sacagawea smiled and clasped hands. They stepped back and a dark haired, darker skinned young man came forward. "My name is Ahkmenrah, pharaoh of Egypt and guardian of the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. The Tablet is what brings us all to life." He smiled and bowed. "My friends call me Ahk."

Claire bowed, thinking, _He's rather cute._ She straightened and looked at the people around her. _Okay, nearly all the boys are cute…_

Ahk moved back and the two dinosaurs caught her attention. Larry's son introduced them. "The T-rex is nicknamed Rexy. He's like a dog; he loves to play fetch and tug of war… just be careful while playing tug of war! The triceratops is Trixie. Rexy has slowly been making her a lover of fetch." Rexy and Trixie growled welcomes. The young man turned back to Claire. "My name's Nick, Larry's son."

"Nice to meet you." Claire smiled.

Next, the knight, Lancelot, stepped forward. "Sir Lancelot at your service, fair maiden." He bowed with a flourish.

"Do I look like a maiden to you?" Claire arched a brow and crossed her arms, a crooked smile on her face.

"Perhaps if you were in a dress." Lancelot smiled.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't wear dresses much. Not a big fan." She grinned.

Lancelot grinned. "My friends call me Lance for short."

As Lance stepped back into the crowd, a monkey leaped onto Claire's shoulder and chattered a welcome. Larry spoke. "That's Dexter, the mischievous, trickster Capuchin monkey. We all call him Dex for short."

Dex chattered a protest and leaped onto Larry's shoulder, smacking him softly. Larry smacked him back and Claire tipped her head, a pained, confused look on her face. Teddy chuckled. "Don't mind them. That's how they bond."

Claire blinked and turned as the Neanderthals came up, one of them introducing himself as Laa. He stood there staring at her, until Claire started to shift uncomfortably. A large, Asian looking man stepped forward and tugged him back into the crowd. He and the other warriors stepped forward. "Name… Attila the Hun." He said slowly in heavily accented English. His eyes and face brightened and he turned to Larry excitedly.

"Very good, Attila!" Larry praised. To Claire he explained, "He's still learning English." His eyes flashed with a hidden meaning, but it faded quickly.

The others came up and greeted her. Finally, Claire was thrown for a loop as she heard a voice call her name, but no one stepped forward.

"Down here!" The voice called.

Claire glanced down and her eyes widened in surprise. "Well." She blinked. "This is unexpected." Craning their necks a bit to look up at her were the miniatures. "How do you fight?" She asked.

They all suddenly grew to normal size. The cowboy was just a bit taller than her. "This answer your question, partner?" He grinned.

"A little bit." She nodded.

"There are some advantages to being tiny." The Roman soldier explained. "We can sneak into places and other things, but that's beside the point. My name is Octavius, General of Rome." He dipped his head. "My friends call me Oct."

Claire dipped her head in return. The cowboy caught her attention by rolling up his lasso. "And my name's Jedediah Smith, but everyone calls me Jed. Nice to meet you, partner." He offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Claire grinned, shaking his hand.

Having met everyone, she turned slowly to look around at her surroundings. She finally came to her original position and found her eyes drawn to Jed. There was something about the cowboy that made her absolutely sure she could trust him. She felt a slightly blush rise to her face and she quickly turned her head to stare at a random pillar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jed doing the same. In an effort to change the subject, she asked, "What is this place?"

"This is the Museum of National History." Larry answered. "You're in New York, New York, America."

"Interesting." Claire tipped her head back and looked around, spinning slowly in place.

"Is there anything about our world you don't know about?" Nick asked.

"I don't know how to call someone, text, how to work a computer, drive or anything like that." She shrugged. "Honestly, I don't mind. From what I've heard, horseback seems safer."

"That's fair." Larry laughed. "But cars are faster, and in our times, we kind of need the speed."

"Hey Dumb-Dumb, start dance-dance!" The Easter Island Head boomed.

"You want me to start a party?" Larry called.

"Dumb-Dumb is dumb-dumb." The Head answered in replied.

"Okay." Larry kept a perfectly straight face. "Anyone ready for a party?"

Everyone cheered and split off to get it ready. Except for Claire. She just stood there, staring around in confusion. Then she noticed that Jedediah was still standing in front of her. "Hi." She smiled.

"Hey, partner." He grinned back.

Oh boy. Was that it? She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and she quickly looked at her feet. Jed broke the awkward silence. "Are you skilled with a sword and a bow?"

Thank you Jedediah! "Yeah." Claire answered, looking up to meet his friendly blue gaze. "I started training when I was little." She grinned slyly. Jed's expression turned a bit suspicious. Suddenly, she whisked her sword out, spun around him, and trapped him with the sword to his throat and with her free hand on his chest, tugging him into her. "That answer your question, laddie?"

She saw his ears turn red. "Uh… yeah—yeah that did." He stammered.

Claire chuckled, released him and sheathed her sword. Jed turned, the blush fading. "How about that bow of yours? Do you think you can shoot this bandana off of that pillar over there?" He pointed the farthest pillar.

"Try me."

Jed grinned and jogged over. He set up the target and then jogged back. Claire already had her bow out. She nocked an arrow and drew it back. She aimed and released it, hitting the bandana and carrying it away with it till it struck the wall and clattered to the ground. "That, my friend, was way too easy."

Jed stared at her thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Maybe I'll get Rexy and Trixie to help me out. But for now, I'm impressed. The swordplay was really good. Then again, I know nothin' about it."

Claire shrugged. "What now, cowboy?"

"Your pick, Highlander."

She thought for a minute. "Let's go explore."

"Alrighty then, partner. Jedediah Smith will be your guide." He grinned.

Claire grinned her crooked grin and the two of them headed off into one of the many hallways. A loud clattering sound made them both freeze and tense up, eyes squeezed shut. They slowly opened an eye and glanced at each other, a worried expression on their faces. Jed headed to the doorway and poked his head out. "Everything okay in there?" He called.

"Sort of!" Came Octavius's reply. "The ladder fell over, that's all."

"You okay?"

"Sort of. My arm hurts a bit, but I didn't break it."

"Be careful, Oct. After all we've been through together I don't particularly want you to die in a freak accident." Jed suddenly bolted out the doorway crying, "Easy, partner! That ladder is gonna topple over again!"

Claire squeezed her eyes shut as the clattering sounded again, accompanied by a, "Whoa!" and a "Gah!" She poked her head out of the door way to see Jed and Octavius sprawled on the ground with the ladder between them. "You two okay?" She asked, hurrying out.

"I'm fine." Oct grunted, sitting up.

"Only my pride is wounded." Jed groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.

Claire helped Octavius up, retrieved Jed's hat and then helped him up. "Apparently, that ladder wants to kill you two. What are you trying to do?" She handed the cowboy his hat.

"I'm trying to tie this ribbon to the railing." Octavius answered. "But the ladder won't hold still."

Claire picked the ladder up, steadied it against the railing and took the ribbon from Octavius. She climbed up it slowly and reached up to tie it to the railing. The ladder started wobbling and she grunted, bringing her arms down. "It starts wobbling the minute I stretch my arms up to tie it on." She muttered thoughtfully. "I wonder…"

Claire reached up to tie the ribbon on again and felt the ladder wobble again. She hurriedly tied the ribbon on and then stopped as she felt the ladder topple over on her. Claire lunged forward and gripped the railing in her hands, holding the ladder with her feet. "Get out of the way!" She shouted.

She was able to glance down to see Octavius and Jed leap away. Claire let the ladder go and hauled herself up over the railing and onto safe ground as the ladder clattered to the ground again. She leaped to her feet and looked over to see her new friend's safe, both staring at her in shock. She hurried down the stairs and examined the ladder. "Aha! There's a nice big crack in this leg." She tapped it. "For some reason, when we reach up to tie to ribbon on, the leg starts to give out. That'll have to be repaired until we use it again."

"I'll go tell Larry." Octavius nodded. "You two can go back on your walk." He hurried off, leaving a nearly protesting Jed behind.

The dusty blond cowboy sighed and turned back to the Highlander. "C'mon."

Side by side, they went to the same hall they'd gone to before. "This is the animal exhibit area." Jed explained. "The dinosaurs, as you may know, are in the lobby."

"Wow. How'd you find invisible animals?" Claire teased.

Jed laughed. "Good one, partner!"

"You'd best get used to my snark, laddie."

Jed grinned and tipped his head to another hallway. He led her to a pharaoh's tomb section. Dipping his head respectfully to the two jackal guards, he led her to the back area. On a wall above a coffin was a golden tablet. "This," Jed spread an arm out towards it, "is the Tablet of Ahkmenrah. This is where the magic comes from."

"Wow." Claire stared at it in awe.

Jed smiled and, after letting her gaze at it for a while, gently steered her out of the Pharaoh's Tomb and into another hallway.

* * *

 **There we are! Everyone has now met Claire!**

 **QotD: Obviously, Claire has multiple love interests. Who would you like to see her with?**


	5. Chapter 4

**I swear, they get longer DX I always find the first few chapters to be harder than the later ones. The story kind of starts to kick off in Chapter 6.**

 **Well then, on to the next thing...**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Guest: If you're the same person from Chapter 3, thanks for reviewing again, and I'm glad you like it! And yes, she sure does... I wonder who she ends up with... :3**

 **WolfGirl: Glad you like her! And me too. I'm not a fan of dresses. Harder to run in. And yes they are. I love those two.**

 **NorthernLight: I'd give it away if I told you what the sickness is. Wow. Everyone loves and is concerned about Teddy XD In all honesty, I can understand. We shall see if it affects Teddy... :3**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: You'd like to see Claire with Napoleon? Interesting choice! And I get that. I have it happen a lot. Be it choosing a love interest or if to kill off a character or not. *shrugs* so I get it.**

 **One more thing:**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier, WolfGirl, thanks for your continued support!**

 **Now then, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4_**

 _Jedediah_

"You like her, don't you?" Octavius's voice made Jed freeze mid stride.

The miniature cowboy spun around. "I-I don't know what you—what you mean!" He spluttered.

"You are not helping yourself." Oct crossed his arms. "Honestly, my friend, I can't blame you. Claire is really pretty. I quite like her myself."

Jed sighed and looked at the exit of the miniature exhibit. Two days had passed since Claire's first night, and each night, Jed and Claire had done some sort of activity together, be it exploring the museum or talking with the other exhibits. The dusty blond cowboy shook his head. Octavius was right: he did like Claire. And there was no sense in denying it; the Roman knew him too well. "Just don't tell her, okay?"

Oct nodded. "I won't. But do expect me to try for her hand as well."

Jed's expression was a mix of horror and anger. "Hold your horses, partner! You aren't serious, are you?"

"I'm dead serious. Don't be shocked if some of the others go after her too." Octavius warned. "Lance will definitely try for her."

Jed looked away with a sigh, unable to stay angry at his best friend. "What do I do? And partner, let's not let a girl get in the way of our friendship."

Oct smiled. "Not a chance, my friend. As for your question, just keep doing what you've been doing."

Jed frowned. "Is it really that simple?"

"With how she acted, yes."

The cowboy was confused for a minute before he remembered the first time he and the Highlander had met. "Well, c'mon. We don't want to be late." Tonight was the redo show at the planetarium, and nearly all the exhibits were needed.

 _Claire_

"You expect me to stand in front of a crowd of people and _sing_?" Claire demanded.

"Well, yes." Larry nodded.

Claire frowned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. People are expecting to see the new exhibit." Larry shook his head. "If you want, I can rewrite it a bit to put you and Jed together, if that would make you feel better."

Claire sighed. "If it isn't too much trouble."

"It's in an hour. I can probably change it up a bit." Larry smiled. "If not, then you're on your own."

"That's fair, laddie." Claire looked around, curious at all the activity.

Everyone was bustling around, setting up the lobby in honor of the show. Claire didn't know what to do to help, she decided to go and find Jed. With her hand around the pommel of her sword, she headed to the miniature exhibit to find all of them gone.

 _Great. Now what?_ She thought, sighing.

Turning on her heel, Claire re-entered the lobby and looked around again. "Claire!" She turned at Lance's voice. "Could you give me a hand stringing this light? It's being reluctant."

Grateful to be doing something, Claire hurried over. "Go ahead and climb down." She called, looking up and the brown haired knight.

Lance climbed down and handed the Highlander the light. She climbed up the ladder and started stringing the light. It came down almost immediately. Claire glanced down and called, "Could you get me some tape?"

"Right away, fair maiden."

"Again with the maiden?!"

Lance just smiled and hurried off. Claire sighed and rolled her eyes. "Knights."

Claire waited for a while until Lance raced in. He tossed her a roll of clear tape. "Sorry! I couldn't find it."

"Right, what else am I holding?" Claire chuckled dryly. Lance laughed. She turned and started stringing the light again, adding tape to keep it in place.

Once she was finished, she climbed down the ladder and handed Lance the tape. He smiled at her. "Thanks. That should hold now."

Claire grinned and picked the ladder up. "Do we need this for anything else?"

"We might need it in the planetarium."

"I'll go deliver it." She turned and used the signs to direct herself to the planetarium.

"Hey, partner!" Her heart soared a bit at Jed's welcoming call. "Thank goodness! I was just headin' to get the ladder when you walked in."

"You're in luck then, laddie. Where do you need it?" Claire smiled.

"Over here." Jed led the way to the intended place. Claire set it up and Jed smiled at her before climbing up it to finish his job. He then climbed down and turned to her, dusting his hands off.

"Cowboy! Highlander!" Ahk's voice made them both spin around. "Larry wants us to rehears again."

"Perhaps he got the script changed a bit…" Claire mused.

"C'mon then, partner!" Jed hurried off, Claire leaping to catch up with him.

* * *

 **So there we go! For reference, the show I'm talking about is the failed Planetarium show from Secret of the Tomb.**

 **QotD: Erm... I'm kind of at a loss... Okay, lets just go with this: Which from any and all of the movies is your favorite?**

 **AotD: I can't answer this one. Gives it away.**


	6. Chapter 5

**I nearly forgot to update this one XD Okay, this one is longer but it's still slow... Chapter 6 is where it kicks off. I always struggle with the first few chapters because I'm introducing everyone and building up the story a bit.**

 **Well, in this one, I attempted a song. Tell me what you think!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Dancing Peach: Good! At least everyone is still into it XD I'm glad you think so about Claire. You learn more about her in Chapter 6 if I remember correctly. And I know... I'm sad they aren't making more. But without Robin Willams and his adlibs/magic, it wouldn't be the same...**

 **Guest: Okay! Glad I checked that though XD Glad you still like it!**

 **One more thing:**

 **Enter the Highlands is my most popular story! Thank you for the support on this one!**

 **Now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5_**

"Wow. Lots of familiar faces here tonight!" Teddy's voice boomed.

The crowd laughed.

"It's time to meet our star friends." Teddy started. "Are you all ready?"

The crowd cheered and the show started. Claire was pacing in the shadows of a hallway, her black clothing making her blend in perfectly. Her mind was racing. _How am I supposed to do this? Any time I faced a crowd of people alive, I was fighting them, not entertaining them. Thistle thorns, how did I let Larry talk me into this?_

"Whoa there, partner! You'll wear yourself out before you even begin." Jed put his hand on her shoulder, his blue eyes worried.

"I know. I know." Claire breathed. "I'm just not used to this."

"I can see that." Jed nodded. "But don't get your mind all in a twist. You won't be alone. We're in this together, right?"

"Right." Claire nodded, smiling for the first time since the show started.

Larry had been a real star and had successfully changed the script to allow Claire and Jed to preform together. Speaking of the night guard, Larry suddenly poked his head around the corner. "You two okay?"

"As bright as a sunrise, partner!" Jed replied cheerily.

"I'm nervous, but I'll be okay." Claire sighed.

"You're on after Dex." Larry vanished.

Claire sighed and rubbed her arms. "I've never entertained someone before. Well, unless you count being an exhibit."

Jed smiled sympathetically. "I'm nervous too, to be honest. We never got to my part of the show."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to _sing!"_

"I do now! You and I are singing together, remember?"

"Well I should hope so!" Claire widened her eyes in mock surprise. "How else could we be a duet?

Jed laughed softly. "Nice once!"

"I told you you'd better get used to my snark."

They laughed softly together. Thankfully, the butterflies weren't as thick now. Claire actually felt like she could do this. Then she got a surprise that helped cheer her up even more.

Jed suddenly pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for doing this with me." He murmured. "I don't think I could sing without someone with me!"

Claire hugged him back. "Same for me, laddie."

They pulled away, blushing slightly, a minute before Larry called them to get ready for their cues. Teddy's voice suddenly filled their ears. "The cowboys of America and the Highlanders of Scotland used the stars as navigation. Many songs were created as tributes to these skills."

The music started playing. That was the cue. Claire started singing, hoping her voice didn't quaver.

" _The windblown stars light the way, guiding me through the night."_

It didn't quaver, thank the stars. Jed started next. He was staring at her in awe, eyes brimming with shock and admiration.

" _Kansas is close, but I think I'm lost. Look to the stars, dear cowboy. They will show you the way."_

Claire was stunned. He had a beautiful voice! She continued on. " _Dear Highlander, don't stray from the path. Follow the North Star to your home."_

From the way the crowd was looking around they had no clue where the singing as coming from. As a pause started, Claire walked out of the hallway and onto the stage. She rolled to the left side upon entering the light and then straightened, looking up at the stars that swirled around overhead. Jed came out, rolling to the right side and looked up. His line was next. " _Though the night is chill, the sky is clear, and the stars twinkle brightly."_

Claire drew her sword and gazed at it, watching the stars twinkle in the reflection on the metal. " _Hurry now, the stars are calling. A battle is starting, and you're needed. Follow the stars to your home."_

 _"_ _The cattle are restless, the horses are calm. There's enough light to see. Partner, I think we're headin' out by starlight tonight."_

There was another pause. Claire sheathed her sword and leaped from the stage, landing among the crowd. Everyone gasped—this was new. She weaved among the audience to another stage, where a camera projected a nighttime fight between Scottish warriors and English warriors. Lancelot stood on the stage, sword drawn, offering a silent challenge. Claire leaped onto the stage and they started to spar. Jed was in his own section, but Claire was too focused on her side to see what. The two of them continued to sing, each line a different song that somehow weaved into its own song. Finally, it ended, and Lance, Claire and Jed disappeared.

The crowd erupted into applause. Claire congratulated Lance on his great swordplay and then hurried around to her original post to meet Jed. They crashed into each other and tumbled to the ground.

"Sorry, partner!" Jed got to his feet first and helped her up. His hat was missing.

"My fault." Claire laughed quietly. "Here, let me get your hat… Wait, where is it?"

Jed was smiling. He pointed with his chin to her head.

Claire reached up and felt her hand bump his hat. "Well, that's a coincidence." She stretched her blue eyes up, not moving her head.

"You look really cute with it on, if I do say so myself." A shocked expression crossed his face.

Claire looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. You were cute before and now you look even cuter." Jed slammed his mouth shut, an expression of horror on his face, his cheeks bright red.

Claire blushed. "Th-thanks." She smiled. "No one has called me cute before, actually."

"That's a shame." Jed's expression turned into a soft smile. "Maybe I can convince Larry to get you a black cowboy hat." He reached up and straightened it on her head. "Perfecto."

"You'd better take it back though. This hat looks better on you."

"You don't even know what you look like. Let's go find a mirror. We aren't expected on stage again for a while." He grabbed her hand and tugged her after him.

Jed led her to a mirror and motioned her to look in it. When she did, Claire couldn't help but laugh. "The cowboy hat looks out of place with my garb!" She was dressed in a pitch black tunic with darker grey pants and knee high black boots. Black, fingerless gloves covered her hands. Around her neck was amulet with a triangle Celtic knot as the pendant. The hat was a little too out of the era of her clothing.

"I think it fits." Jed shrugged.

"I still think it looks better on you."

"And I still think it looks good on you, so we're even."

Claire reached up, took the hat off and then settled it on his head. "You still need your trademark cowboy hat." She paused. "I didn't get the chance to say it, but you did great, and you have a great singing voice!"

The cowboy smiled. "Thanks. You did great too. And your singin' voice! Best sound I've ever heard."

"Jed! Claire! Back to your posts!" Octavius's voice reached their ears. "Where are you guys?"

"Here." Jed stepped out, followed by Claire.

"What were you—never mind. Our final appearance is soon, and we need you back! Come on!" Oct raced back.

After a glance at each other, Jed and Claire sprinted after him. Larry met them as they skidded to a halt. "Good, you found them. You're almost on for the final part!"

As he spoke, Teddy called out, "Thank you all for coming! If all the performers could join me on the main stage…"

Jed, Oct and Claire joined the other group of performers and stepped out onto the main stage. The crowd cheered. Teddy introduced each performer. And then, as the stars danced in the sky, the performers, Teddy and Texas bowed and exited the stage. The audience left the planetarium and greeted each performer, congratulating them.

"You're the new exhibit, Claire, right?" A young man came up and asked her.

"Mhm." Claire dipped her head in assent.

"Man, you have a great singing voice! I nearly dropped my glass when I heard you start singing!" He was staring at her in admiration.

Claire lifted her gaze to look at Jed, who was talking with a younger boy. "Thank you." She smiled.

 _I couldn't have done it without Jedediah._

* * *

 **The song flopped, didn't it? *sigh* I don't write songs, I play violin and sing to my favorites DX**

 **AotD: I love all the movies...**

 **QotD: Which pairing from any and all of the movies is your favorite?**


	7. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry for the late update! High school has been kicking my butt this new semester and I haven't had a chance to work on any book expect the ones I have on paper. And that's been few. Then, I've been drawing some fanart for my friend as a very belated Christmas present. And these past three weeks or so, I've been in a Fire Emblem mood. For those past three weeks, I've been replaying Path of Radiance. Then, I got Awakening on the 30th and I finished it on Tuesday. So yeah. I've been neglecting my writing and all of you guys for way to long. HOPEFULLY school will calm down enough to let me get on more!**

 **Review replies:**

 **Wolfgirl: Oh they are, are they? Well, we'll see who Claire chooses!**

 **Lightraygirl: That's fine. I've done it before. And a lot of people love Teddy and Sac, myself included :)**

 **One more thing...**

 **This is become my most popular story! Total:**

 _ **1,019 views!**_

 _ **21 reviews!**_

 _ **11 favs!**_

 **I'm so honored, guys! Thanks for loving it so much!**

 **NOW! Chapter 6 is when everything starts to pick up...**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6_**

 _Ahkmenrah_

"Larry! We have a problem!"

"Ahk, what's wrong?" Larry bolted into Ahk's room.

Ahk was staring at the Tablet in horror and fear. A sliver of the Tablet's bottom left corner was blood red instead of bright golden. Larry gulped. "That doesn't look good."

A sudden shriek of pain made both men jump and spin around, staring at the entrance.

"Claire!" Jed's panicked voice sounded through the museum.

"Catch her!" That was Lance.

Great rumbling sounded as Rexy leaped forward. "Did you get her?!" Octavius cried.

Rexy roared in confirmation.

"That doesn't sound good." Ahk gulped.

"Come on!" Larry was already racing out.

Ahk glanced at his Tablet and then raced after the night guard.

 _Claire_

"Make it stop! _Make it stop!"_ Claire shrieked.

"Claire! Look at me! Focus on—what's wrong with your eyes?!" Jed broke off with a strangled cry.

Her head was on fire and she could just imagine what her eyes looked like: completely blue with no whites or pupils. "My head…!" She moaned, clutching it between her hands.

Claire felt hands grasp her shoulders, and Octavius's cry of protest, "No, Jedediah, don't touch her! She might be contagious!"

"I don't care!" Jed snapped. "Claire, focus on the sound of my voice, or my hands on your shoulders. Just focus on _somethin'_ other than the pain!"

Jed kept talking. Claire slowly dropped her hands from her head and put them over Jed's arms. Her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps as spike after spike of pain ripped through her skull.

"That's it. There you go, focus on me." Jed soothed. "You're comin' back. C'mon, partner, don't give in now!" He added as Claire let out a wail.

"J-Jed…" Claire breathed. She felt her eyes flash normal and back to the different state. "S-smack me… tw-twist my arm… do _s-something_ … to shock me… out of this…"

She couldn't see the look on Jed's face. Another wail rose from her lips and Claire gripped Jed's arms tightly. "Nngh. There you go, partner. Focus on gripping my arms."

"S-shock… me… out of… this!" Claire growled. Another screech of pain ripped through the quiet museum.

"Jed… maybe you should step away…" Larry murmured.

"I will shoot you in your dadgum leg if you try and pull me away!" Jed warned.

"You're guns don't fire."

"I can throw punches."

"Jed…"

"No, Giagantor! Claire is my friend and I _will_ help her out!"

 _J-Jed…_ Claire thought through the pain.

"Okay, Claire, I can only think of one way to snap you out this." Jed murmured.

She didn't know what he meant. Before she could ask what he meant, a sharper jab of pain ripped through her mind and she heard a laugh. She felt Jed pull her forward, but Claire managed to cry out, "WAIT!" and pushed him back.

 ** _"Little Claire can't handle the spell, eh?"_**

That voice! It couldn't be…?!

 ** _"It is me. Your father. Missed me? How did you manage to hide from me for so long?"_**

 _"How have you managed to keep consciousness?"_ Claire challenged silently.

 ** _"I'm a sorcerer. When I died, I sent my spirit into the world to enter into the model that would be made. Though, at the time, I didn't know there would be a model."_**

 _"You infected the Tablet, didn't you?"_ She'd heard Larry and Ahk talking about the little silver of blood red on the Tablet.

 ** _"Clever, clever girl. But I should have expected that, you being my daughter and all."_** Her father sighed.

 _"Just leave me alone, Caagel."_

 ** _"Why should I? I vowed revenge on you, and that's just what I'm seeking."_**

"Claire? Claire, what's wrong?" Jed's voice broke through her thoughts.

 _Jedediah…_

" _You should leave me alone because I'm stronger than I was before."_

 ** _"How so?"_**

So he couldn't see her thoughts! That helped. Claire growled. _"I won't tell you. Live in fear for a while. See how it feels."_

 ** _"Why you—"_**

Her father's presence suddenly faded and then a jab, more painful than all the others combined ripped through her skull. Claire screeched and cried out, "Jed! Do it! Snap me out of it! Hurry! Before he kills me!"

She couldn't focus on anything around her, just the painful jabs that were coming in waves after waves through her mind. She felt Jed pull her forward and she groaned as another sharp jab tore through her mind. Jed's hand brushed a lock of her hair out of her face and then he kissed her.

 _That_ shocked her out of Caagel's attack really quickly. Her eyes quickly changed back to normal and widened as she stared at…

Wait, _LANCELOT_?! Lance had kissed her?

Claire shoved him and scrambled backwards. "What are you doing?!" She shouted.

"Protecting Jedediah from possible harm." The knight explained. "And saving you. Win-win."

Jed was glaring at Lance with barely contained rage. His fists were clenched and Octavius had to hold him back. "You dadgum knight! I would have been fine! You didn't need to protect me! What have I always said? I don't like to be manhandled! I'm not some tiny figurine!"

"Well, technically, you are a tiny figurine for twelve hours of the day." Claire couldn't pass that one up.

Jed froze and turned to her. She grinned a weary crooked grin. Jed started laughing. "Even when you're in a lot of pain and really tired, you still manage to make sarcastic remarks. I love it."

Lance moved to help Claire up but Jed pushed past him and helped the Highlander to her feet. She tried to walk and nearly fell over. Jed caught her. "You okay?"

"I will be." Claire grunted.

With the dusty blond cowboy's help, she managed to limp over to Lance. Before he could speak, she slapped him. "That's for making me think Jed was kissing me." Then she hugged him. "But I can't stay mad at you forever. Thanks for saving my life."

"I will never get women." Lance sighed. He hugged her back.

Claire broke off and limped over to the receptionist's chair. She flopped into it and rubbed her temples. Jed hovered near by and the others all watched her with a worried expression. "I'll be able to explain in a minute." The throbbing was fading and her strength was returning.

Finally she sighed and stood up. "I know what's causing the illness on the Tablet."

"What?" Ahk asked instantly. He realized he'd interrupted and flashed an embarrassed grin. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Ahk. 'Tis your tablet, after all." She smiled. "Anyways… it's my father… Caagel. He's a sorcerer, and a strong one. Everything that just happened with me there was his doing. He's… had a grudge against me for years. Ever since I tried to kill him, that is. He finally found me, and now he's going to take everything from me… you, my friends, and the Tablet, which means my life." She couldn't stop her gaze from flicking to Jed. She sighed and looked away.

"So that means that if the blood red color spreads all the way up the Tablet…" Nick started.

"We… die?" Attila finished.

"Yes." Claire rubbed her hand over her face. "I might be able to slow it down… but I don't know how much." She sighed. "Oh, I'll be able to tell you guys when it—nngh!" She hunched over.

"Claire?" Jed put a hand on her back.

"I'm fine." She panted. "As I was saying, I can tell you guys when the color spreads. It just spread a little bit more there."

"So you can slow it down somewhat?" Ahk asked quietly.

"Yes." Claire nodded. "But I can't stop it." She looked at Larry. "We have to go to Scotland's museum. My brother is there. He's just as good as my father at sorcery. He should be able to help us. But… there's a catch… Caagel is there too. We'll have to be really careful."

"I'll talk to Dr. McPhee tomorrow." Larry promised. "And if you aren't too tried, could you slow down the illness?"

Claire bounced to her feet. "I'll get it done right away."

She hurried off before anyone could offer to go with her. She froze as footsteps sounded behind her. Her bow was in her hand in a flash, an arrow knocked and ready to fire. "Who's there?" She growled.

"Hold your horses, partner! It's me!" Jed came around, hands up.

Claire sighed and put her bow away. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry. I'm just worried somethin' will happen again." His eyes sparkled with worry.

"Don't worry, partner. I'll be fine." She felt a little pleased to use the cowboy term, but it sounded really weird.

Jed was obviously surprise. "Okay, not goin' to lie. It sounds weird hearin' 'partner' in a Scottish accent!"

"Aye, laddie." Claire agreed. "It sounded weird to my ears too."

They continued on to the Tablet. The blood red color was slowly creeping up the tablet, thankfully. It would take a while for it to completely take over the tablet. And with Claire's spell slowing it down, it'll take even longer.

But they had to hurry. They couldn't delay, not with what the outcome would be.

* * *

 **Well that was tense. And Claire can use magic?! Who would've known? *chuckle***

 **QotD: Do you think Claire's brother is a good guy or a bad guy?**


	8. Authors Update

Hey guys. This isn't the actual chapter, so I'm sorry for crushing all your excitement. This is a little update That I need to put out.

First off, I want to say I'm so sorry for not updating this in ages. I haven't been posting ANY of my stories, so don't feel like it's just EtH.

The reason I haven't updated in forever is because of a little thing called Time. High school is an absolute jerk, and since I'm homeschooled, it takes me ages. When I do finish, I usually walk away from the computer and either draw or play Fire Emblem, or both. After that, it's usually dinner time and my family and I watch some of our favorite TV shows together, namely Person of Interest, Elementary, and when the new episodes come, Vampire Diaries and Originals. By that time it's usually 8:30 and I usually go to bed since I wake up at 7:30 each morning. I will work on my books ASAP, I promise! As soon as Spring Break comes, I should be able to work on them. Thank you for bearing with me this far, and again, I'm sorry!


	9. Chapter 7

**Whoo, another chapter! I was re-reading this one and realized all the inconstancy I have later on... I'll edit this before I post another chapter, that's for sure.**

 **Straight to review replies!**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: Every story has to have a bad guy though. And we'll see! He may or may not be evil. That's one vote for her brother being good.**

 **Wolfclaw: One vote for him being evil! *laughs* Because I'm curious: Why do you think he's evil? And yeah, trip time, again! Of course they would stowaway. *laughs* But do they need to?**

 **Wolfgirl: Thank you, and I'm so sorry for that DX School is... *growls* But I'm on spring break, so here's another late chapter e,e HA! I sense an unparalleled love for Teddy and Jed from you X3 I can understand that, I love these guys too XD As for kickin' Caagel's butt... It'll have to happen sometime...**

 **Lightraygirl: Yeah. High school is nuts. The first semester was great... and then second semester hit... *sighs* And that's really awesome! Good luck with that :)**

 **On to the chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7_**

Claire punched the lid of the crate off the box and stood up, pulling Styrofoam from her hair. "Remind me to never travel with Styrofoam!" She complained.

Three weeks had passed, much to Claire's annoyance. Finally, some of the exhibits had been shipped to Scotland's museum as a traveling exhibition. Night had just fallen, and everyone was coming out of their crates. Larry and Nick would join them later.

"We still have a return journey, partner." Jed called. He and Octavius were miniature form. They suddenly grew to normal size.

"You may need us in a more powerful, harder to lose size." Octavius explained. "After what happened last time in London… having this advantage is better."

"Good point." Larry grunted. He and Nick had just arrived. "Now, your father will know we're here, right?"

Claire shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know if he can sense us or if he'll know we're here by us making a ton of noise or him seeing us." She shrugged again. "Which ever variable it is, we need to move."

Teddy, Sacagawea, Ahkmenrah, the Tablet in his hands, Lancelot, Attila, Dexter and the Garuda emerged from their crates. "I'm beginning to hate packaging…" Sacagawea complained.

"With the way things are going, my dear, we may have to get used to it." Teddy sighed.

"C'mon! We don't have any time to waste!" Claire hissed.

Everyone started forward, Claire in the lead, her bow drawn and an arrow knocked. "Be warned. There are bears in this museum."

"Bears? Pfft." Lance drew his sword.

"I know you fought Trixie off, but these bears don't like to give in." Claire warned. They started forward again.

Jed moved to her side, a sword in his hand. "Boy am I glad for all those tips you gave me." He whispered.

Claire snorted. "You were already great with a sword." She whispered back.

"Hey, love birds, I think we have a problem." Oct gulped.

"Oi! Love birds?!" Claire protested quietly. She turned at a growl and coughed quietly. "That would be one of the bears. Wait here."

The dark haired Highlander crept forward, her dark clothes blending into the shadows. She peeked around the corner to find the bear exhibit, each bear snuffling around and looking more confused than they probably ever had before. Claire drew her head back and put her back to the wall, muttering a string of choice words in Gaelic.

The way to the famous Scottish Warriors exhibit was past the bears.

Claire peeked around again and noticed that most of the bears were on the right hand side of the exhibit. If they could lock up this entrance and the right hand side, they might be able to make it into the hallway. The only problem was the fact that if they needed to run, they had fewer exits.

 _If I can knock the bears out, we might be better off… but how long would they stay out?_

Claire sighed and crept back to her friends. "So… the bears will be a problem. The hallway we need to take is at the far end of their exhibit, and there's no way past them without them seeing or smelling us. If we can sneak past this entrance, we might be able to find another way to it."

"Bears are nothing." Lancelot scoffed.

"Don't get cocky." Claire warned. "Being cocky is bad. Really bad. I should know. So trust me when I say we don't want to tango with these bears!"

Lance sighed.

"Now." Claire went on briskly. "I'm going to go ahead to find a safe place to hide."

Before anyone could protest, Claire sheathed her bow and rolled across the doorway and stood up, silently drew her sword and prepped herself. If any bears came for her, she'd knock them out.

And come they did.

Roars sounded from the exhibit. Claire growled and leaped into the doorway, shouting, "RUN!"

"We can't leave you!" Larry shouted, racing up.

She shoved him back as the first bear leaped for her. Dodging the claws, she slammed the pommel of her sword down on the bear's skull. It collapsed with a snort. Claire growled. "Just run! I can hold them off and catch up with you later. Just get out of here!"

"We'll come back!" Larry sensed that he couldn't change her mind.

Larry, Nick, Teddy, Sacagawea, Attila, Dex, Lance and the Garuda raced off down the hall. Octavius started to follow, but he halted when he realized Jed wasn't with him.

"I ain't leavin' you!" Jed cried.

"Jed, just go with them. Protect them! I've fought bears like these before. I'll be fine!"

"Come on, Jedediah!" Octavius called.

Jed looked from his best friend to his new best friend. Claire knocked another bear out and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm going in and I'm trusting you to follow my wish and run. You don't have the training to fight bears!"

Before he could answer, Claire leaped up on top of the bear and glared at the other four in defiance. They roared in rage and leaped for her. Claire danced to the side and knocked another on out. She then spun and raced away with a muffled shriek as the others gave chase. She briefly saw Jed standing on top of one of the bears and prayed he wasn't going to jump in. She lost sight of him as she knocked another bear out, and then she kicked another in the snout before knocking it out. The last one was the biggest and the calmest. "Hi. I don't want to hurt you." Claire soothed. "If you don't attack me, I won't attack you."

The bear advanced another step. Claire stood her ground and lifted her sword ever so slightly. The bear growled and raised his paw. Claire tried to calm it again, but it wouldn't listen. With a gasp, Claire lifted her sword just in time to stop the bear's downward swipe. She grunted and felt her feet slide back, but she kept pushing back. If she lost her grip, the bear would surly kill her. If she could somehow slam her foot into its jaw, she might get it off balance enough to knock it out…

"Claire!"

Fourteen years of hard training allowed her to keep her concentration and shout back, "Jedediah Smith, what did I say?!"

"I know, I know." She could just picture Jed's grin.

He suddenly leaped onto the bears back and slammed the pommel of his sword into its skull. The bear went limp and Claire rolled away to let it fall to the ground. Jed rolled off and scrambled to his feet. The minute he was steady, Claire slapped him. "When I tell you I've got something handled, I usually mean I've got it handled!" She growled.

He rubbed his cheek, grinning. "What, so you work alone?"

"Usually."

"That's a shame. We could make a really good team, y'know."

Claire glared at him. "You're lucky I've had fourteen years of hard training. If I hadn't of had that, your call would have distracted me and possibly killed me."

Jed's face fell a bit at that. "Sorry."

Clare sighed and smiled at him. "You've learned not to do it again. I hope."

"Maybe I have." Jed shrugged.

"Uh-huh." She gave him an incredulous look. "Nice job, by the way. It's not that often a newbie bear fighter can leap onto a giant bear's back and knock it out."

Jed smiled. "We should probably go. The others are worried."

Claire sheathed her sword and they hurried out of the bear exhibit, Jed in the lead. They found the others gathered in the landscape exhibit. "Thank the stars you two are okay!" Larry heaved a sigh of relief.

"We're fine. No scratches. Though we do have one cowboy who can do some pretty stupid things." She shot the dusty blond cowboy a teasing look.

"You fought six bears single handedly. I'd call that pretty stupid." Jed flashed a teasing smile.

"You don't have training. I do." She retorted.

"You can teach me."

"We live in the middle of New York with the most ferocious thing being a mad squirrel. We have no way to go into the forest to train thanks to a little something called dawn. Where do you expect me to find bears?"

"Good point."

"Come on, love birds, we have to keep moving." Oct smiled at them.

"Oi!" Claire cried, glaring at him.

 _"_ Again?!" Jed glared at the Roman.

"Well, you two are rather adorable together." Octavius admitted.

"Guys! We don't have time for this!" Larry started off.

The other's followed. The carefully made their way into the nature exhibit only to stumble to a halt at the sound of a voice. "Who are you?"

That voice filled Claire with joy. "Keegan! It's me, Claire!" She pushed past Larry to see her brother standing before her.

Keegan was a stocky, five foot eleven Highlander who could wield a clamor like it was a feather. He had short brown hair and grey eyes and he was dressed in a dark brown tunic. Keegan's eyes lit up when he saw her. "Claire! Where did you go? I woke up tonight to find you gone." He pulled her into a hug.

"I was moved to a different museum." Claire explained, hugging her brother back. "We came here to get your help."

"What's wrong?" Keegan turned. "And who are these people."

"These are my new friends at my new museum. The night guard, Larry Daley and his son, Nick." Claire introduced each of her friends.

"You like Jedediah, don't you?" Keegan breathed in her ear.

Claire turned bright red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Keegan smiled at her smugly. "Sure you don't."

Everyone gave her a confused look. She waved it away, still bright red. She finally got it under control and explained the situation to Keegan.

"Unfortunately, little sis, I'm not strong enough to break this spell." Keegan sighed as he examined the tablet.

Claire muttered a choice word in Gaelic and sighed. "So how do we break it?"

"You'd have to take it to Father." Keegan replied. "And he won't help you."

Claire winced. "True. Where is that old rotten-heart anyway?"

"He… went out to the Cliffs." Keegan said quietly.

"He _what?!"_

The Cliffs were a jagged part of this area that bordered the sea on one side. Depending on where someone fell, one could die. Claire tugged on her ear thoughtfully. They'd have to be really careful if they were to find him.

"How do we break the spell then?" Claire asked.

Keegan frowned. "Well, if he was still alive, I'd say kill him but…"

Claire looked at her brother, a smile spreading on her face. "That's it! Well, for one thing, we do really come to life thanks to the Tablet. For another, Caagel's spirit is alive. Kill the spirit, and the spell breaks."

Keegan smiled. "There you go! I'll stay here and surprise him in case he comes back."

"Thanks, Keegan! C'mon guys!" Claire turned on her heel and bolted. Larry pushed ahead of her and led her out.

They made it outside and, one at a time, they snuck past security. Claire took the lead then, heading in the direction of the cliffs.

"Claire, how do you know where you're going?" Teddy called.

"The stars!" Claire shouted over her shoulder. "The song I sung seems all too real right now."

"Boy does it." Jed agreed.

It took them an hour to reach the Cliffs. Claire looked around for her father and spotted him near the steepest part of the Cliffs. He was standing motionless, staring out to sea. Claire and the others quietly creeped up on him. What none of them realized is that he knew they were there.

"Foolish children!" Caagel cried. He used his powers to drag them all closer. "You thought you could sneak up on me? I knew of your plans ages ago!"

The sorcerer was dressed in a black tunic with dark grey pants and black boots. He had a long, pitch black cape that billowed out behind him. His hair was dark brown and short and his eyes blueish grey.

"Let us go!" Claire shouted, struggling against his grip.

"I'm afraid not. See, I've looked into the future and I don't like it very much. Killing you, Claire, will change it perfectly!"

"Leave her alone!" Jed hollered.

"Ah yes. The little cowboy who's head over heels for her." Caagel cooed. "You care for her so much, and she for you…"

This time, neither Claire nor Jed denied it. They just glared at him with two pairs of blue flames.

"I wonder what you'd do if I hurt her, cowboy." Caagel mused.

"If you harm a hair on her head, I will shoot you in your dang eye!" Jed raged. He strained against the magic hold.

"If you touch him, I will snap your neck faster than you can scream!" Claire roared. She knew it was pointless to break free of pure might itself. She tried to use magic to break free, but nothing worked.

"Sorry, not a chance." Caagel spun around, cape wiping out behind him. "It's time for my daughter to die."

He released Claire and smiled evilly at her. Claire growled and reached for her sword.

She never got a chance to draw it.

Caagel pointed at her and a powerful blast of magic crashed into her chest. Claire grunted in pain and went flying.

" _NO! CLAIRE!"_ Jed screeched.

She was falling down the Cliffs, at the steepest part. _I'm dead. He's finally succeeded._ That was her last thought before pain erupted in her body as she crashed into stone. She rolled, over and over until she came to a rest with her back against the cliff wall. The last thing she remembered was searing pain, her father crying out in shock and Jed crying her name.

* * *

 **I don't love cliffhangers, do I? *chuckles* I will try to update the next chapter in a timely matter, I swear. I will update every day, to make up for the days missed. After that... I'll have to update whenever I get a chance *sigh***

 **QotD: What happens to Claire? Does she survive the fall and die in one of her friends arms? If yes, which friend? If no, who rescues her and saves her?**


	10. Chapter 8

**I know, I know. You can slap me. I promised I would resolve this cliff hanger before Spring Break ended and it's been... three weeks now... I really should update this story more often, since it's completely written. BUT! Here is the resolution to that lovely cliff-hanger I left you in chapter 7! Last we saw, Claire was sent flying down a cliff!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **TeddyxSac: Ha! You really like Teddy, huh? I do too. You're comment made my day XD I can safely say that Teddy isn't the one jumping after her, though.**

 **Wolfclaw: Okay, I can see that. We'll see what happens, right?**

 **So, on to my HORRIBLY LATE chapter!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 8_**

 _Jedediah_

"Claire, hold on!" Jed cried out.

Caagel screeched in shock as the others trapped him against the cliff edge. "This isn't over! I'm coming for that Tablet!" He vanished without a trace and didn't return.

Jed rushed to the cliff face and leaped, aiming for a ledge. "Jed! No!" Larry shouted, leaping to catch him.

The night guard missed and scrambled backwards to avoid falling. Jed safely landed on the ledge and then jumped down to another one. He was actually having a little fun when he landed on a weak ledge. It buckled beneath his weight, sending him tumbling down the cliff wall. He came to a halt when he slammed onto another ledge. "That's gonna leave a mark." He groaned, rubbing his back.

One quick glance showed torn clothes, scrapes, cuts and bruises already forming. Dust dappled his face, body, hair and clothes in different places, and his foot felt sore. His hat was dusty but intact. He picked it up and dusted it off a bit before settling it on his head again. Then he continued on down to Claire. When he was above her, Jed finally saw the extent of her injuries.

Claire was lying with her back against the cliff wall, her sword arm lying limply across her waist. Multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises dappled her face and body, and her clothes were torn and jagged. Dust also dappled her face, hair, body and clothes. A bone from one of her legs jutted out through the skin and blood was pouring from the wound. Her breath was coming in shallow, ragged gasps, and Jed feared that each one would be her last.

Somehow, she had survived the fall.

Jed steadied his feet against the cliff wall and gripped a small ledge with his hand. He reached down toward her with his other hand, but thought better of it and gently lowered himself down to the Highlander's side. Getting closer to her showed that he _had_ to get Claire out of this canyon so that Sacagawea could treat her. He gently touched Claire's face, hoping for a reaction. She didn't move or give an indication that she'd felt it.

 _She's probably out cold…_ Jed thought, worried. _I have to stop the bleeding… Good thing I always keep a spare bandana on me!_

He tugged the bandana out of his pocket and wrapped it firmly around Claire's leg. Hopefully that would work.

"Jedediah!" Octavius shouted. "Are you two alright?"

"I'm fine!" Jed shouted back up. "But Claire is badly hurt and she needs treated before she dies!"

"We can set up a rope to pull her up!"

"I'm not sure if that's wise. You'd have to see her to understand what I mean!"

"I'll send Dex to find a way out!" Larry shouted down. "Try and find a way out too!"

"I can come down and try and treat her!" Sacagawea pitched in.

"I think all the ledges are more unstable since I landed on them, partner." Jed answered grimly. "You'll have to treat her when I get back up."

Jed turned and looked around, studying everything. Claire's sword was still safely sheathed in its scabbard. Her amulet was missing and he felt a flash of alarm. That amulet meant everything to her. Where was it? He looked around closer and spotted it half hidden in a pile of dust. He gently fished it out and found it to be in near perfect condition. He considered putting it around her neck and then realized that he could lose it easier that way. Instead, he clasped it around his own neck, settling it above the red bandana he always wore.

He picked Claire up bridal-style and looked around for the best way out. Dexter caught his attention and then darted off in the direction he wanted Jed to go in. Jed followed him as best he could, scrambling over boulders and limping across flat areas. He always looked up to see Dex, and the little Capuchin always made sure he could stay in Jed's line of sight. The dusty blond cowboy kept going for what felt like hours. He wondered absently if dawn would come before everyone got back to the museum. Hopefully not!

"J-Jed…?" He froze at Claire's weak, whispered words.

Jed looked down to see her looking at him weakly. But she was losing consciousness fast. "It's okay, partner, I'm here. You're goin' to be fine." He smiled.

Claire gave a very small, very weak smile and then she slipped into unconsciousness again. Jed lifted his head and a determined expression settled itself across his face. He was going to make it, or he'd die trying. Dexter chattered impatiently and Jed broke into a slow, limping run. His body ached and his foot hurt worse with each step, but he pushed on. This was nothing compared to what Claire was feeling right now.

 _You'll make it, partner. No matter what, you'll make it._

"How do we sneak past security with one unconscious, terribly hurt Highlander and one exhausted, hurt cowboy?" Nick hissed.

Everyone was staring in dismay at the back entrance of the museum. This guard was smart enough to not fall asleep, and was keeping an eye on every camera. Nick was right: Claire was in no state to sneak in and Jed _was_ exhausted. He'd run for an hour, scrambling over boulders and then he had to climb up a fairly steep slope with Claire on his back. It had been worth it, though. Sacagawea had been able to set the bone back into place, so it would heal better, and Claire was breathing a little easier. Her breath was still shallow and ragged though.

"If we could somehow distract him…" Larry frowned.

"You don't have to worry about me." Jed hissed wearily. "I can sneak in. We just have to worry about Claire and that trail of blood she might leave."

Lance was currently carrying the Highlander, as Jed was too exhausted to carry her anymore. Octavius was holding the dusty blond cowboy up and was helping him walk. Jed wanted nothing more than to see Claire somewhere safe and to see himself off his feet.

"No, we have to worry about you. Jed, you can shrink down and then you can ride in my coat pocket." Larry gazed at him, worry filling his eyes.

"But… Claire… I have to make sure she's okay." Jed protested.

"She'll be fine. We can ask Keegan if he can heal her. You just take a load off for a while."

Jed sighed. "You aren't givin' me any choice, are you?" Before the black haired night guard could answer, Jed continued on. "Me ridin' in your pocket solves one problem. But you still have to think of a solution for Claire, and you'd better do it faster than the Iron Horse can run! Dawn's approachin', partner!"

Larry glanced up quickly and muttered something under his breath. "This isn't good."

" _Do you guys need a hand?"_ Keegan's voice suddenly filled their minds.

"Yes, we do!" Larry sighed. "And we need help fast. If dawn rises while the exhibits are still out here…"

 _"They'll turn to dust. I know. We all know. I'll distract the guard. You guys sneak in."_

A loud clattering sound came from the hidden side of the guards building. The guard stiffened and hurried around to look. Another fainter clattering sound came. Larry gave the signal to run and everyone sprang forward.

Jed was still at normal size, so he and Oct lagged behind a bit. But there was no time for him to shrink now, so he kept pushing himself as fast as he could. Larry was urgently beckoning them, and he kept glancing at the sky hurriedly. Jed pushed hard and Oct helped push him along. The cowboy and the Roman tumbled into the museum and to the ground. Larry closed the door just in time. The windows filled with light as the sun peeked over the horizon. "You guys okay?" Larry asked.

Since dawn had come, the exhibits had frozen in place. The quickly came back to life. "I'm okay, Giagantor." Jed grunted wearily.

"I'm alright." Octavius helped Jed to his feet.

"Now, let's get Claire back to her brother." Jed limped off, the other's quickly following.

"When we stop next, I need to treat you, Jed." Sacagawea murmured.

Jed just nodded. As they approached the bear exhibit, everyone tensed, but the bears, not knowing about the ability to come to life at any time, were back in their normal places. Finally, the New York exhibits emerged in the nature exhibit to find Keegan missing. "He's probably back in his normal place." Teddy mused, marching onward.

By now, Jed was nearly dropping from exhaustion, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other. Octavius was still supporting him and he murmured soothing words. Everything blurred until Oct's voice broke through the haze. "Hey, Jed. Jed. Jedediah?"

"Huh-what? Jed shook his head roughly. "Sorry, what is it?"

"We're in the Scottish Warriors exhibit." Octavius explained gently. "Keegan is looking at Claire right now, and Sacagawea's ready to look at you. Here, my friend, why don't you sit down?"

Jed gratefully flopped down onto a bench and pulled his foot up to his lap. "If anythin' hurts the worse right now, it's this dadgum foot!" He muttered.

"You've probably sprained it or you have some small fractures." Sacagawea's sweet voice reached his ears.

Jed rubbed his eyes. "Why am I so tired?" He complained.

"Well let's see. You fought a bear, ran for an hour straight only to be caught by a magician. Then you watched someone you care for deeply get blasted off a cliff. Then you leaped off said cliff to chase after her, only to find a weak ledge and injure yourself a bit. Upon finding your friend, you find her to be near death. Then you had to carry her out of the canyon after trying to find a way out and scrambling over boulders. You get a small break and then run for another hour straight." Sacagawea mused. "If it makes you feel any better, we're all tired.

"Thanks for the explanation." Jed grunted dryly. "And that sort of makes me feel better."

During this time, Sacagawea had carefully removed Jed's boot and sock and was examining his foot. He winced as her hand passed over a particularly sore spot and she nodded. "Just as I thought. There's a small fracture here. Your foot probably smacked into the cliff face as you tumbled down." She carefully wrapped it. "You'll be fine, but you'll need to rest for a while."

"I'm okay with sleepin' for a few months." Jed groaned. "How's Claire doin'?"

The Garuda spoke in his quick, chattering language. Everyone stared at him blankly. He sighed and slunk off. Ahk answered for him. "Keegan's healed her as best he can, but he's a bit spent after slowing Caagel's spell down and preventing him from speeding it up."

"Will she live?" Jed demanded a bit more strength to his tone.

"She will." Keegan answered wearily. "She'll be out for a while, but she'll be fine. Now you, mister hotshot cowboy, you need to sleep. We all could use some shut eye, actually."

Larry waved his arms around. "Right here? In the middle of this exhibit? Are you nuts? We have to hide!"

Keegan paused. "I think I have enough power to put a cloaking spell on you…" He closed his eyes and muttered something inaudible. "There." He swayed a bit, but didn't fall.

"Alright, let's go find a storage room or something." Larry sighed.

The found the storage room and everyone stretched out, each one too tired to care where they slept. Jed thought sleep would never come, through the pain, worry and disappointment. But he was asleep as soon as his head touched his hand.

* * *

 **Okay, hopefully this chapter makes up for the long wait XD**

 **QotD: What do you think of Caagel, Claire and Keegan's father? And what do you think will happen to Claire?**


End file.
